"Shhhh!!" Duo warned as he pointed to the door. "The guard will hear you!"
Quatre nodded tears still streaming. "T-they d-did s-something t-to N-Neko."
Duo frowned and nodded helping the grief stricken Quatre to his feet. "I know buddy, I know."
The two men climbed the wooden ladder with little difficulty and into the ventilation shaft.
Heero flashed Quatre a smile and patted his shoulder. "We'll get her back." He said simply and then continued down the shaft and opened another vent.
Quatre sat behind Heero in the darkness of the shaft still sniffling.
"Rolthen will pay…" he said his eyes widening. "eh heh heh he will pay heh heh" he laughed crazily.
Duo looked to Quatre and grabbed his shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself Quatre! We all want Rolthen dead."
Quatre snapped from his craziness and looked to Duo and then wept again.
Duo sighed and comforted the sobbing man. "Let it all out Quatre."
Kawa emerged from the vent Heero had just opened and looked to Quatre.
"What's wrong with him?" Kawa asked.
Duo looked to her. "You didn't hear the scream?" he asked.
"I fell into unconsciousness again. What scream?"
Trowa climbed from the shaft and motioned for Duo not to tell her.
Kawa however saw the motion and looked to both of them angrily. "What scream?! Tell me!!"
Heero looked to Trowa and Duo and then to Kawa. "They did something to Neko."
Kawa stared at Heero horrified. "No..you guys must be mistaken, it could have been anyone."
Trowa took Kawa in his arms as she also started to weep. "It can't be her it can't be!"
Trowa's forest green eyes turned to Heero and Duo. "Go on ahead and rescue the others. I'll stay with Quatre and Kawa."
Heero and Duo nodded and continued down the shaft freeing Wufei and Dr. Tai.
"Lets go get Hanami." Duo said to the others once they meet up.
They all nodded and continued crawling down the shaft. After passing a few rooms Kawa, who had recovered from her shock, pointed down into a room.
"There she is."
Hanami rested in a dark corner of the room. Her blood stained bangs clung to her face and her arms, and hands were badly bruised and battered. Duo looked down to her sadly and then opened the vent. He leaped down inside and knelt down beside her.
"Hanami my beautiful flower wake up." He whispered into her ear.
Hanami's blue eyes fluttered open and she turned to Duo. "Oh Duo..is this a dream.?" she said weakly.
Duo stroked her hair. "No my darling I'm here, and I always will be."
Hanami smiled and grabbed his shirt with her handcuffed hands. "I love you Duo." She said.
Duo hugged her and said. "I love you too." Then he stood helping her up.
"Now old out your cuffs Hanami and pull them as much as you can."
Hanami did as she was told and Duo shot the chains binding the cuffs breaking them; he had done the same thing to everyone else's.
The young brown haired, blue-eyed girl made her way to the wooden ladder and started to climb followed by Duo.
Kawa immediately hugged Hanami as she made her way into the shaft.
Hanami hugged her friend back saying, "It's good to see you again. Are you ok?"
"Yes I'm fine. Are you?"
"I'll live." She said smiling.
Kawa returned the smile.
"It's beginning to get crowded." Wufei spoke up. "Why don't Trowa, Hanami, Heero, Dr. Tai and I return to the base to recover the gundams."
"That seems logical." Trowa said.
"Alright you guys go on and be careful." Duo said as he kissed Hanami goodbye.
Trowa gently kissed Kawa and told her he would return and then joinded the others.
Kawa waved goodbye to her boyfriend, bestfriend, adopted father and Wufei and wished them all luck. Then she turned and joined Quatre and Duo down the dark shaft to Neko's chamber.
Neko sat alone in the room she had been escorted to before. Her arms and legs were still bound to the chair she sat in and her eyes burned with pain. She jumped hearing the door to her chamber creak open.
"Whose there?" she demanded looking toward the door her eyes shut tight.
"It's just me Neko." Came a familiar voice.
"D-duke…thank god you're here! Quick get me out before anyone returns!"
Duke grinned somewhat evilly. "I haven't come to rescue you Neko."
"Then what have you come for?" she asked, and then it dawned on her. "You've sided with The Black Wolves, haven't you?"
Duke smiled. "You're a quick one."
"That's how they knew where our bases were. You told them! Why you no good, low down, scum bag!!" Neko screamed.
Duke grinned. "Why thank you."
Neko fumed and struggled to free herself from the binding chair.
Duke places his hands on the arms of the chair and placed his face directly in front of hers.
"Settle down my dear adopted sister." He said coolly. "You'll be free from this chair soon enough and back in the cellars with your cute boyfriend. Well at least for a while. Then it'll be his turn."
Neko's once shut eyes now opened with terror, but even though her eyes were open she could see nothing. All was darkness, her once cheerful, bright brown eyes were now gray and unemotional.
"I…I can't see." She said. "M-My eyes are open but I can't see!"
"So they have blinded you." Duke said chuckling.
Neko felt the breath from Duke's chuckle on her face and she quickly spit. "Leave me and my Quatre alone!" she yelled forgetting her blindness for a moment.
Duke wiped the spit from his face and slapped Neko across her face. "Watch your manners young lady. Or you'll loose more than your eyesight." Then he stood straightening his jacket and left the room.
Neko stared straight in front of her and began to cry trying to free her self from her restraints. Tears of frustration and sadness poured from her blank eyes and on to her hands and clothing.
After a few minutes of struggling and sobbing Neko gave up and slumped in her chair, "Oh my dear sweet Quatre will I ever see your handsome face again? Will I ever get to hear your sweet laugh? Or have your hand comb through my hair? Or will I be condemned to darkness…and sadness forever?"